We say... New light will cause problems

A “temporary” traffic light on the Buckwalter Parkway at Parker’s is up for final approval by the Beaufort County Council.

The council consensus is that the signal is needed for the safety of up to 700 families living in the area who access the parkway via Lake Pointe Drive as well as customers of the popular gas station.

And “temporary” could mean “forever,” given the county’s declining tax base.

That’s because removing the light, if indeed it is ever removed, depends on the outcome of a project to realign the Bluffton Parkway.

There’s no money to do that. There may never again be money to do that. And not only is there no money, apparently there’s no plan either.

Phase 5B of the Bluffton Parkway would straighten a 1.4 mile “jog” overlapping the Buckwalter Parkway.

A route for Phase 5B has long been approved by the County Council, the S.C. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

But a developer who owns land the parkway realignment would cross, backed by the town of Bluffton, wants another route that would enhance his commercial building opportunities.

So, the County Council is reconsidering the Phase 5B route, at a cost of about $89,000 — and a few more years of planning, consulting and public hearings.

Meanwhile, the law of unintended consequences surely will visit the new “temporary” traffic signal at Parker’s.

It is an uncomfortable compromise for county officials, who recognize the need for safer access to the Buckwalter Parkway for Parker’s customers and residents Edgefield, Arborwood, The Willows and Sandy Pointe.

But the need conflicts with the county’s traffic management standards, which provide for spacing of at least 2,000 feet between signals between one light and the next to expedite traffic flow.

The distance from the proposed traffic light to the existing one at the intersection of the Bluffton and Buckwalter parkways is between 900 and 1,400 feet, depending on where it’s located.

We expect the ire of Lake Pointe Drive residents to subside within a couple of months of traffic signal installation.

But we also expect a new flurry of “why did they do that?” righteous indignation when motorists get stopped by two lights within seconds.